Charles



(No Model.)

0. 0. ROSE.

FIRE ESCAPE. I Patented Apr. 2, 1889.

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l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

oHARLEs o. ROSE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF To JOHN HEISLER, or SAME PLACE;

FlR E=ESCAPE.

sPECIFIcATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,873, dated April 2, 188;

Application filed December 27, 1888; Serial No. 294,808. (No model;)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES O; ROSE, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and

to to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

One of the principal objections present in fire escapes now in use lies in the fact that, as a rule, they only provide for the exit of one person at a time from an upper story of a burning building, or where they consist of staircases or ladders persons can only descend in single file, and if the size of the lad der is increased to accommodate a greater number of persons the cost is very greatly increased also, which in devices of this class adapted to be used only in cases of emergency is quite a serious objection to their adoption.

My present invention, however, has for its object to provide a simple, cheap, and serviceable escape, capable of being used in case of emergency by a large number of persons and it consists in applying to the side of a building, preferably in proximity to one or more windows on each floor, a wire or metallic netting having the meshes sufficiently large to permit the insertion of a persons foot and affording him a firm support upon it.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a view of a portion of a building provided with my invention; Fig. 2, a sectional view on the line a: a; Fig. 3, a detail View showing the preferred kind of netting, and Fig. 4 a modification.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate similar parts.

The letterA represents a netting or latticework, constructed of wire or other suitable incombustible material, the meshes being preferably of the'form shown in Fig. 3, affording horizontal bearing portions a at upper and lower sides, as shown, sufliciently strong to sustain the weight of a person, the twisting together of the two strands of wire at this point in the present construction contributing to this. These meshes should be of sufiicient size to admit the insertion of the foot of the person using the escape, permitting a firm foothold, and also the meshes above can be firmly grasped by him; 5 5

The netting or lattice, if constructed of wire; as shown, is preferably secured in a frame, B, composed, essentially, of top and bottom bars, 0. O, though side pieces, D, can be used, and is hung or fastened to the side of a building, suitable openin gs protected by frames E being provided in front of the windows, if desired, in order to permit the manipulationof the shutters. It isdesirable that the netting ex tend clear around the windows in order to permit a person to catch hold of and descend upon it in any direction, as his judgment may dictate, in order to avoid flame or smoke issuing from lower windows or other persons using the escape, and also that a portion, pref- 7o erably that between two windows, extend downward to within a short distance of the ground, to which latter there will be no danger in dropping; or, if desired, a section of flexible netting could be secured to the lower part of the frame, normally hung up and capable of being dropped clear to the ground,

as shown in Fig. 4.

WVhile this netting could be supported close to the wall, I prefer to locate it a short dis- 8o tance from it, a sufficient space being left to permit persons to descend either upon the inside between it and the wall or upon the outside, as desired, and, as a convenient and perhaps the best means of supporting it, I provide angular brackets F, secured to the building in any desired manner, their disposition being optional with the owner, but I preferably employ several at the upper portion, to which the upper portion of the frame is secured, and 0 two above and two below each window secured to the frames E, as shown. This arrangment secures and supports the netting at the points where the greatest strain comes upon it and is deemed sufficient, though the 5 brackets may be otherwise disposed, if desired.

The manner of using my escape will now be readily apparent, the persons emerging from the windows grasping the netting and descending as on a ladder either on the inside or outside, and by reason of the extent of surfaces provided a large number can readily use it without interference with each other, and there being a large number of hand and foot holds the chances of the persons above stepping on the hands of the persons beneath are materially reduced.

The escape herein described is very simple, can be used by any one without special in struction, is permanent, and extremely cheap and serviceable.

I claim as my invention 1. The herein-described fire-escape, consisting of a strong netting of large mesh secured to a building substantially parallel with the wall thereof, and extending around one or more of the windows, the meshes serving as hand and foot holds, as set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the supporting-brackets permanently secured to the building, of the strong netting of large mesh secured thereto, extending substantially parallel with a Wall of the building and around one or more of the wi ndows, the mesh es serving as hand and foot holds, as set forth.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the frame, of the strong netting of large mesh secured to the frame and means for securing the latter at top and bottom permanently to the side of a building substantially parallel with the wall thereof and in proximity to one or more of the windows, the meshes serving as hand and foot holds, as set forth.

at. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the strong netting of large mesh secured to a building substantially parallel with the Wall thereof, having openings coinciding with the windows and extending around one or more of them,of the meshes serving as hand and foot holds, substantially as described.

5. In a fire escape, the combination; with the strong netting of large mesh adapted to be secured to a building having openings cog inciding with the windows in the latter, of frames around said openings, substantially as described.

(5. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the strong netting of large mesh adapted to be secured to a building, having openings co= inciding with the windows in the latter, of the frame in said openings and the brackets se= curing them to the building, substantially as described.

7. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the building, of the strong wiremetting secured thereto substantially parallel with the wall thereof and extending around one or more of the windows, the bottoms of the meshes being horizontal and formed of two or more strands of twisted wire, forming hand and foot holds, sul'istantially as described.

CHARLES O. ROSE.

Witnesses:

FRED l5. CHURCH, JOHN HEISLER. 

